BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) Curt Miller spent two seasons rebuilding the Indiana women's basketball team.
He won't be around to direct the finished project.
On Friday, Miller surprised many by resigning as the Hoosiers coach because of health and family reasons.
''As you know, this was a most difficult decision but the right one for me and my family at this time,'' Miller wrote in a letter sent to athletic director Fred Glass. ''Thank you for the opportunity to resurrect the program. I will always cherish my time as a part of the Hoosier Nation. I wish nothing but continued success for the players, coaches and the program.''
School officials did not provide any details about Miller's health, citing privacy laws. The 55-year-old Pennsylvania native did suffer a mild stroke during a game in January 2012 when he was coaching Bowling Green. During his introductory news conference with the Hoosiers later that year, Miller implied it was the result of stress.
Miller and Glass both met with players on the team Friday, and Glass appointed Miller's top assistant, Curtis Lloyd, the interim head coach until the school finds a replacement.
Glass said a decision about which, if any, assistants stay will be made by the new coach.
Miller did a masterful job reviving a program won just six games in 2011-12. He went 32-32 record in two seasons including a 21-13 mark last season, which tied the school's single-season record for wins. Indiana also made its first postseason tourney appearance in five years and set a new school record by winning three games in the WNIT. Miller's reward: Being a finalist for the NABC's national coach of the year award.
He leaves behind a solid core of young scorers and having made some headway in the in-state recruiting battle with national powers Notre Dame and Purdue.
''Curt Miller did an incredible job coaching this team, bringing us farther, faster than anyone could have reasonably expected,'' Glass said in a statement. ''He leaves the program in a very strong position and poised for much greater success. I respect his decision to resign, and I wish him well. The search for a permanent successor has already begun.''
Miller was 290-124 in 13 seasons and won eight Mid-American Conference titles in 11 seasons with Bowling Green. He was named MAC coach of the year six times and got Bowling Green to the regional finals of the NCAA women's tournament in 2007.
